Ingredient Focus : Oil

Oil is a calorie dense ingredient which is often added to a ration as a great way of adding additional calories (energy) to the diets of horses that need extra help with weight gain, whilst reducing the overall starch and sugar content of the feed.

Oil isn’t a necessary addition to all horse’s diets, however, if you have a horse that struggles to maintain weight, has a small appetite or is a picky eater, adding oil can work be support smaller meal sizes, whilst providing calorie density to help with weight gain. Feeding oil can also provide a great source of alternative energy compared to cereals in the diet, making it an ideal feed ingredient for horses with naturally more fizzy or excitable temperaments or those that require a lower starch feed. Oil is a slow-release source of energy so provides the energy in a controlled way and is great for horses that struggle with stamina as it will help to provide slow-release energy in the diet.

Feeding oil can also be beneficial to help improve coat and skin condition, and some horses may require a slightly higher oil level in the diet to help with this. As oil is so calorie dense it isn’t suitable to be fed in large quantities to good-doers or horses that are more at risk of becoming overweight, so do consider the type of horse you have and the reason for feeding oil before adding it to the diet.

What type of oil should we feed?

There is a lot of choice when it comes to feeding oil and any good quality, vegetable oil will be suitable to feed to horses. The choice of what oil to feed comes down to why you are feeding it. If you are looking to support coat or skin condition, feeding linseed oil is of great benefit, as the high level of omega-3 fatty acids help with skin cell elasticity and coat shine. If you are looking to feed oil for weight gain or as an energy source, you can feed liquid vegetable oil, however large quantities can become unpalatable, as well as disrupting forage utilization.

A 'splash,' of oil will not increase a horses's calorie intake to encourage weight gain, and larger quantities of oil will increase the number of free radicals that are produced in the horses body. Free radicals damage healthy cells, and for every 100ml of liquid that is fed, an additional 100IU of Vitamin E should be added to the feed. In this case, opting for a pelleted oil such as a rice bran supplement (rice bran being naturally high in oil) can be beneficial as it takes the messiness away from feeding large quantities of liquid oil and also helps to increase palatability. Pelleted oil also has the benefit of ‘staying fresher’ for longer. Liquid oil will go rancid very quickly when exposed to air and light whereas pelleted oil supplements are stabilised to avoid this. If you aren’t feeding a lot of oil or will only be using it occasionally, a pelleted oil supplement may be a better choice as it will keep for longer.

Another source of oil for horses is fish oil, which is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are known for their anti-inflammatory properties and must be supplied by the horses diet. The type of omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil is more bio available to the horse than vegetable sources of omega-3 fatty acids, and so if you are looking to use an oil for anti-inflammatory purposes, opting for a fish oil would be more beneficial than a vegetable oil.

Do I need to buy from a specialist?

Where you buy your oil from will depend on the reason for feeding it. If you are looking for linseed oil you will have better luck at a feed merchant than at your local supermarket, but if it’s a vegetable oil you are looking for, the supermarket can often be the most readily available source. However, most feed merchants will have a good range of liquid oils available for customers to chose from.

Specialist forms of oil such as pelleted options and fish oil specifically for horses, will only be found through your feed store or online. Pelleted sources of oil tend to come in large quantities i.e., 15-20KG bags so will more than likely be with the rest of the horse feed in the feed barn.